BRIEF: Driver charged with fleeing fatal collision and claiming damage to her car was caused by vandalism

Feb. 17--SANTA ANA -- A Santa Ana woman accused of driving away from a fatal collision is facing hit-and-run and insurance fraud charges.

Belen Sicairos, 23, was charged this week with a half-dozen criminal charges, including hit-and-run causing death, insurance fraud and falsely reporting a crime. A Nov. 29 traffic accident resulted in the death of Jorge Luis Lopez-Lobato, 35.

Prosecutors allege that Sicairos was driving along First Street in her 2015 Honda Accord around 2 a.m. when she struck Lopez-Lobato as he crossed the street. Lopez-Lobato was pronounced dead at the scene, but prosecutors say Sicairos drove off before officers arrived.

The next morning, prosecutors allege, Sicairos called her insurance company to falsely claim that her vehicle had been vandalized, causing damage to the driver's side of the car and the windshield.

A tip led police to locate Sicairos' vehicle at an auto body shop. Oficers determined the damage to her vehicle matched that sustained in the collision.

If convicted, Sicairos faces up to eight years in state prison.

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